The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-03
INDIANA DEMOCRATS.
Statesman James I'll. Rice Plaintively Tells OF.
Their Many Grievances.


Statesman James H Rice PIaintiveIy Tells of
Their Many Grievances
/ New York orld.
! chairman of the Democratic State central com
nittee, is fresh arrival at the Fifth-avenue
Hotel.
Give us the bottom facts about the feeling
out in your State" said the reporter, in regard
to the administration"
well" said Mr.. Rice, as he drew in lungful
! OF humidity, lit depends on how you look at this
thing. You can't deny that the Democrats Of
nv State feel sore over the treatment they have
received. What they have been given is OF a
kind that carries nothing with it in the shape OF
| patronage There's General DENLY, a good,
| clean man, buried in the mission to China
| There's Rufe Magee quarte-ed over in Sweden
| They have patronage. SO far as W Washington
is concerned. our official quota is composed of
deputies who have earthly control over APP
pontments. Eb Henderson. of the most
energetic Democrats We have. gets the place of
Deputy Commissioners of Internal Revenue
Col John S. Williams, old wheel horse, gets
an authorship that carries no patronage beyond
a personal corps of six Col William Nc
Lean is made Deputy Commissioner of Pensions,
with absolutely no control over appoin tments
And SO it goes.
Naturally it riles them up to look over the
State line and the recognition given to Hi
nois, that hasn't cast electoral vote for a Dem
ocratlc President since the flood. There's Black
at the head of the Pension Bureau; Sparkn in
supreme command of the Land Office, and Stew
enson sole dispenser of the great mass of lnfe-
rior postmastershps. What claim has Illinois
to these fat places over the head of Indianal
Another cause of discomfort lies in the vast
army of ofice-hoders still retained, and very
many OF them from our own State. There was
one rampant, bowling Republican in the Pension
ONCE we wanted to get out. He'd been calling
traitors and cut-throats, and horse thieves all
his life, and wanted his scalp. When we
moved his works confronted with
batch of Endorsements and testimonials in his
favor signed by some of the most prominent
democrats in Indiana One of them was from
General Manson. our ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. This
thing opened my eyes, and | concluded to make
a trial-trip through the departments to
whether this could be duplicated. Why.
there wasn't a bureau anywhere that wasn't
loaded down to the gunwales with Democratic
Endorsements and petitions from the very highest
source for these Republicans in office
at the White Honse when Mr. Cleveland stae
gered me with a poser. He said Mr.. Rice, there
is q great deal of talk that l don't 90 this and
that for the party IN the way of appointments.
People have idea of the difficulties under
which labor. For instance, prominent Demo
Gratis come to me from a certain section about
certain appointment and advocate Mr.. This and
Mr.. That as the very one above all others that
would reflect credit on the place. OF course l
believe them. They pass and In few min
utes they come in again by the back door. to
speak, and whisper that this Endorsement
only given in a Pckwickian sense. to discharge
some promise they had made. and that some
other fellow the proper man and the
they really wanted
Z" Well, Mr. President. what do you do in
case of that kiudP 1 askei
.''Just hold the whole thing over for later de-
velopmentS, he replied with twinkle In bis
eye.
I'm my opinion heads of de departments are far
more responsible than be is for retaining Repub
licans in Office. 1t would be impossible for him
to cover that whole field but / know many in
stances where he has ordered i'm mediate ap-
pointments. which he thought had long since
been made.
Under this civil-service business" continued
Philosopher Rlce, when strong and efficient
party worker is given Office he is ordained to
keep out OF politics. The moment he appears
the outskirts of a convention some Republican
newspaper screams about office holders running
the machine in violation of the Presidents order.
Some of our abIest men, not only in Indiana,
but elsewhere, have been placed the retired
list, from the stand point of party warfare by
ceivine slice of the patronage cake They
made one of best party workers marshal Of
indiana and he's bound and gagged by the law.
So it goes"
s'What about the Cleveland strength in In
diam outside of these complaintsP
There's a very large element in each State
that votes the ticket without any thought of Of
fee. This is especially true of farming regions
and Indiana is an agricultural State That element
is satisfied They used say that God fights on
the side of the winning battalions. and this
axiom holds good from the standpoint of crops
The farmers appreciate the fact that Cleve.
land has been making specially of the
weather Things have gone their way. and
it's all owing to the influence of the President
Crops were never better. . In spots it has been
little parched. and if the President doesn't fix
this thing up soon we may lose some doubtful
districts But his general control of the weather
has been so good that the farmers support his
administration. And they always heard in
a State convention. They like his veto of pen
sion grabs and know very well that when the
time comes they will support the administra-
ton"
''Will Cleveland be Endorsed by your STATED"
Certainly. l don't think there's any Ques-
ton about that"
''Bnt could he carry the State?'
That's another question. During the last
81. ii 49,
position to cut Indiana adrift They exhausted
their energies New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, which, with the solid South, gave
three more than enough to elect. With Indiana
they had eighteen to spare. Perhaps they may
pursue the same plan this time. and perhaps
they may slip up"